History of Bergstrom Auto

Bergstrom Auto is a automotive dealership company founded in 1974 by brothers John and Richard Bergstrom. The company has grown into 25 different stores, offering cars and trucks from multiple car manufacturers, including Toyota, Nissan, Jaguar and Ford. But all of its stores are located in Wisconsin.

The company has won several awards throughout its years of service, including America's Number 1 Automotive Dealer by TIMES magazine. Currently, Bergstrom is working to develop the online portion of its business and concentrate more on smaller, more efficient vehicles than it has dealt with in the past.

Facts

Bergstrom Automotive is an auto dealership based in the state of Wisconsin. It has dealerships throughout the state, located in towns like Appleton, Neenah and Oshkosh. It sells both used and new vehicles, offering cars, trucks and sports utility vehicles from companies such as BMW, Chevrolet, Honda, Jaguar, Lexis, Ford, Saturn, Toyota, Volvo, Nissan and several others. The company was founded in 1974 by the Bergstroms, who still run the company today. Bergstrom Automotive has won several awards from auto-makers.

Significance

Bergstrom Automotive has 25 dealerships in Wisconsin. Although they have no dealerships located outside of the state, inside Bergstrom is one of the main auto companies, offering not only multiple types of vehicles from nearly every major car company but also financing, parts and repair, routine service, and collision aid.

They have won several awards from auto-makers, including "Dealer of the Year" from General Motors, "#1 in the USA for Customer Service" from Jaguar, the President Away from Honda, and one of the top ten Sales and Service car dealers in America by Volvo. Most significantly, Bergstrom was named America's number 1 auto dealer by TIME Magazine. Bergstrom has credited its philosopher of customer service and "world-class treatment" to its past successes.

History

John and Richard Bergstrom began the automotive company by setting up their first store in Neenah, Wisconsin. More dealerships and different types of stores were eventually offered, such as Hummer stores which came in 2000. In the early 1990s Bergstrom championed a better computer system designed to reduce error and improve efficiency in the early days of online ordering.

While Bergstrom Auto has announced plans to open a new Toyota dealership in Oshkosh as recently as May 2009, John Bergstrom has admitted that the recent changes in gas prices and the financial struggles of the automotive industry have made it more challenging to run auto dealerships, and that the company is planning to move toward cars and away from trucks in the coming years. The company is currently still run by the brothers and John's son, Tim Bergstrom.

Geography

Bergstrom offers over fifteen different dealerships in Appleton, Wisconsin, seven dealerships in Neenah, approximately ten in Oshkosh, three in Milwaukee, and seven in other towns such as Kaukauna, Fond du Lac, and Green Bay. For a complete list of their dealerships, you can visit the Bergstrom website, which has sections for setting up appointments and finding financing.

Ownership and Details

While the company does business and Bergstrom Automotive, they are more officially known as the Bergstrom Corporation. The Corporation has approximately 1,600 employees throughout its offices. Its estimated annual sales come to about $500,000,000.